Dental tool



If. L. MACDONALD. DENTAL TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1921.

. Inn/entar WVitness UNET D S ATE PATENT err-"ice.

FREDERICK I1, MACDONALD, O1" WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FLOSTIK COMPANY, OF VJAL THAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

DENTAL TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed March 12, 1921. Serial No 451,633.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FnnDnRioK L. Mao- DONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at VValtham, in the county of Middlesex and State of. Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Tools; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art. to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to dental tools and more particularly to a portable instrument for facilitating cleaning the spaces between the teeth by the use of dental floss.

Important desiderata in dental tools of this character are that the tool be readily sterilizable; that the floss be absolutely sterile; that it be easily drawn to operating position from its source of supply, without waste; and that when the supply is exhausted. a fresh supply can be provided and the tool again made ready for use with minimum efllort.

The principal objects of the invent-ion therefore, are to provide means for enclosing against outside contaminating influences the entire supply of floss except the portion, or run, which is to be used for cleaning purposes; to provide a bobbin of floss that insures unwinding without kinks and that is so cheap to manufacture that it may be discarded when exhausted and replaced by a full bobbin; and to provide easily accessible and efficient means for binding at both ends the length of floss drawn off the bobbin for use. These ends are accomplished by providing a holder comprising a tubular body through one end of which the full bobbin is received thus encasing the supply and keeping it from contact with the fingers. Fitted on to the other end of the tubular body is a pronged head, one arm of which has a floss-way for leading the floss outside the holder, the portion, or run, of floss to be used being stretched across the two arms of the pronged head and secured at each end to hold it taut.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a dental floss tool that is so simple in construction as to prevent getting out of order in use; is easy to assemble and mauipulate; is so shaped as to be effective in operation in all parts of the mouth; and

withal is of extreme facture.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the'art, the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention Fig ure 1 is an exterior view of the tool; Fig. '2 is a sectional view showingthe floss se cured in position for use; Fig. 3 is a view of the floss bobbin, removed and empty; Fig. at is a detail of one arm of the pronged head; and Fig. 5 is a partial sectionfat right angles to that shown in Fig. 2, showing the holder extended for drawing off the floss.

In the embodiment of. the'invention illustrated in the drawings, a floss holder is provided comprising a tubular body 6 and a pronged head 7, these two parts being connected together at .8, preferably by a quick acting screw thread, so that they may be extended axially from the relation shown in Fig. 2 for a purpose to be described. A floss bobbin comprising a spindle 9, head 10 and finger piece 11 is received within the body cheapness to manu- 6, the head 10 being of such diameter as to V slip easily within the lower end of the body. A cap 12, provided to cover the linger piece 1.1, is threaded on the exterior wall of the body when the bobbin 'is in place and by pressure on the finger piece 11 effectually prevents rotation of the bobbin. The bobbin is loaded with a cop of floss 13 the free end of which is at the upper end of the spindle The free end of the floss is passed through a floss-way 14: the inner end of which opens into the body in one arm 15 of the pronged head 7, this arm extending in alinement with the tubular body thus providing for a straight run of the floss in threading-in a new bobbin-full. It is contemplated that full bobbins will be supplied as separate articles of manufacture, and, in order to facilitate the threading operation, each will be provided with a threading needle in some convenient and inexpensive form which may be discarded after the floss has been passed through the floss-way 14:. 4

The pronged head 7 is formed by the straight arm 15 and a laterally oflset arm 16 "To this end the floss-way 1 1 is though not necessarily,

as shown in Figs- 1 and 2. On emerging from the floss-way 14f the floss is stretched across the space between the arms and its free end is secured to the end of the arm 16. A convenient but not the only mode of securing the floss is by giving it several turns about a circumferential groove formed below the upper end of the arm 16 and then wedging it into a vertical slot 17 To assist in causlng the floss to readily find the slot 17 one of the prongs formed by the slot is lengthened (see Fig. 1) forming a shoulder 18 against which the floss is brought after winding and acting as a guide to direct the floss down into the slot. This slot is preferably made V-shaped so that when a fresh run of floss is desired the used floss, after having been drawn off,may be jammed into the small end of the slot and thus frayed. and weakened. It can then easily be broken off by pulling it against one edge of the slot. This position of the floss is indicated in Fig. 45.

It is requisite that the run of floss between the ends of the arm 15 and 16 be held taut, and means is provided, therefore, to secure the floss inside the holder so that when in use the strain placed on the operating run between the arms will not cause it to slacken and become useless for cleaning purposes.

preferably, alprovided with a conershaped lower end (see Fig.5) and the bobbin spindle 9 is provided with a comple mental conical head 19, the spindle being so proportioned that when the parts of the holder are in closed relation, as shown in Fig. 2, the head 19 will fit within the lower end of the floss-way thus pressing on the floss extending therethrough and securely binding it against the wall thereof and pre venting withdrawal from the bobbin. To permit the floss to be withdrawn it ismerely necessary to elongate the holder by with drawing one of. the parts from the other, as shownin Fig. 5, and the floss is free to be unwound from the bobbin. After the de sired length has been withdrawn the floss is again locked from movement within the holder and then secured to the arm 16 as 'hereinbefore described.

It is preferred to medicate the floss and to this end a suitable powder or other medicat- 1ng material is introduced in the space 20 provided for this purpose. Escape of the powder is prevented by the seating of the spindle 9 in the floss-way 1 1 but as the floss is withdrawn it is medicated bv passing through the powder. I v 4 While the holder will be made of metal for durability-it is preferred to make the bobbin of cheaper material, such as wood, since when a cop of floss has been exhaustedthe empty bobbin will be thrown away as heretofore tated. The tool will be enclosed in a suitable pocket case for individual use. As supplied to dentists the holder will be made larger to provide for a larger supply of floss.

Those skilled in the art to which this in vention appertains will at once recognize the extreme simplicity of the tool and conse quent cheapness of manufacture. The removable bobbin is held in place by the cop by friction only providing extreme ease of insertion and removal.v The fixed bobbin provides for free unwinding of the cop of floss and without kinks or tangles. floss-way being in axial alinement with the bobbin permits the threading-in of a new bobbin with the greatest ease. The encasing of the bobbin and entire run of thread until it emerges from the holder insures sterilization of all the floss and prevents waste. The sealing of the lower end of the opening through which the floss emerges, permits the entire tool to be thrown into a sterilizing bath without injury to the floss at the interior. Especial attention is called to the shape and location relatively to the holder of the pronged head embodying the laterally offset arm. This construction permits, as dentists will recognize, great ease in manipulating the tool within the mouth, especially. when cleaning the spaces between the molar teeth. In cleaning between these teeth the straight arm is readily adapted to be inserted between the jaw and the cheek, where the working space is narrow, while the lateral arm will project into theample space formed by the cavity of the mouth. Thus ease in manipulating the tool is facilitated and discomfort to the user is correspondingly decreased.

The nature and scope of thepresent invention having been indicated and the preferred embodiment of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed as new is:

1. A dental. floss tool having, in combina tion, a tubular body, a bobbin comprising a spindle for carrying a cop or floss received within the body through one end thereof and having-a head providing a shoulder to limit the entry of the spindle in the body, a head threaded on the other end of the body having a central floss-way in axial alinement with the spindle which receives the upper end of'the spindle when the head is screwed down on the body, and an ofliset. arm extending from said head. i

2. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a tubular body a head connected to one end of said body for longitudinal mova ment thereon, said head having an axial floss-wayprovided with a cone-shaped inner end, a bobbin comprising a spindle for carrying a cop of floss, extending into the body through he other end thereof, said spindle having an end' shaped to seat itself The in the cone-shaped end of said floss-way, when said head moves down on the body, and a cap secured to the body and engaging the end of the bobbin to hold it within the body.

3. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a hollow body, a head withdrawably connected to said body, a cop of floss within the body having its free end threaded through a floss-way in the head, the inner end of which opens into the body and through which the floss may be freely drawn when the head is withdrawn from the body, nd a bobbin for said cop having its spindle constructed to enter the open end of said floss-way and bind the floss against the wall thereof to prevent withdrawal of the floss when said head and body are in closed relation.

4. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a hollow body, a head having a flossway therein, the inner end of which opens into said body, a floss bobbin in said body comprising a spindle shaped to enter and plug the lower end of said floss-way, and thus clamp the floss and a connection between the body and head constructed to permit relative axial movement therebetween to remove the spindle from the floss-way and permit withdrawal of the floss thereon through the floss-way.

5. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a hollow body, a head withdrawably connected to said body having a straight floss-way therethrough, said floss-way having a cone-shaped inner end, and a flossbobbin in said body comprising a spindle having an upper end shaped eomplementally to said cone-shaped end of the floss-way and adapted to be seated therein when the head and body are in closed relation.

6. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a holder, a cop of floss within the holder, a pronged head on the holder for retaining an operating run of floss, one of thearms of said head having at its end an open ended longitudinal slot in which the free end of the floss may be secured, and a circumferential groove in the arm between the ends of the slot for receiving windings of the floss.

7. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a hollow body, a cop of floss therein of such proportions as to leave a space within the body for a charge of medicating material through which the floss may be drawn, a head having a floss-way for directing the floss outside the head, and a bobbin for the cop of floss constructed to enter and seal the inner end of said floss-way and prevent loss of the medicating material therethrough.

8. A dental floss tool having, in combination, a hollow body; a head at one end of the body having a floss-way therein whose inner end opens into said body; a flossbobbin, comprising a cop of floss externally wound on its spindle which projects beyond the cop, received within the other end of said body,- said spindle having means to limit its entry into the body and to hold it from rotation within said body as the floss is unwound; and means whereby the head may be separated from the end of the spin dle to permit withdrawal of the floss through said floss-way or engaged with said end to clamp the floss against withdrawal through said floss-way.

FREDERICK L. MACDONALD. 

